Kuwait Official Defends Pace Of Oil-fire Efforts

July 12, 1991|By DAVID LIGHTMAN; Washington Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON -- Kuwait's ambassador to the United States insisted Thursday the oil spill cleanup in his country is proceeding quickly and effectively, and assailed critics for offering "Mickey Mouse" views.

A month ago, a Senate task force heard veteran oil-well firefighter Red Adair say his men were being hampered in Kuwait by inadequate equipment and insufficient water and medical care.

Adair also called "a bunch of malarkey" a U.S. government estimate that fires at the burning wells could be put out within a year.

Thursday, the ambassador and others fired back. Shaikh Saud Nasir Al-Sabah said he was disappointed to hear the criticisms.

"I will say quite openly and frankly I thought it was Mickey Mouse testimony by him," the ambassador said.

He and E.L. Shannon Jr., chairman of the board of Santa Fe International Corp., a Kuwaiti-owned oil exploration company, explained how there were 732 oil wells set afire during the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait.

As of July 8, 199 wells had been capped. "We are confident that a large number of the 732 wells will be under control by the end of this year," said the ambassador. "By March we'll see the majority extinguished."

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn., who heads the task force, repeatedly asked his witnesses whether equipment was being moved easily into the country and whether things were moving quickly enough.

"We are satisfied. We are confident this operation will be successful sooner -- much sooner -- than people have anticipated," the ambassador said.

Lieberman also was concerned whether the current system of international law is sufficient to deal with what Iraqi President Saddam Hussein did to Kuwait's oil industry.

This was the task force's third meeting. Created after Lieberman and other senators visited the Persian Gulf after the Iraq war, it monitors the pace of environmental cleanup in the region.